This invention relates to message announcing systems, and is more particularly concerned with a message announcing system in which a plurality of messages can be recorded on a recording medium for selective playback to one or more subscribers through one or more subscriber lines either simultaneously or successively.
In the past, there have been numerous forms of announcing systems in which a subscriber can be connected to the equipment through telephone lines or other convenient means and can receive a recorded message that has been previously recorded on a recording medium of the announcing system.
The announcing systems have normally taken the form of a recording medium having basically a single message recorded thereon, though some systems have included means by which there can be a variable portion of the recorded message so that constantly varying information such as time, temperature or the like can be given to the subscriber along with a fixed message such as an advertising message.
One difficulty with the announcing systems of the prior art is that, unless a large number of machines is made available with exactly the same information, a subscriber who attempts to contact the announcing machines may have a relatively long wait due to the machine's being busy delivering its message to another subscriber. Also, there has normally been no facility by which a plurality of entirely different messages could be placed on one announcing machine; thus, if advertising is to be sold to several different businesses, even though the same information is to be given to the subscribers in conjunction with each advertisement, there must be a separate announcing machine for each of the advertisements to be sold.
Prior art announcing machines have, in general, lacked the desired versatility as they are designed for a specific format of message, and the format is not changeable.